Which shoes

[Jdt92065]

I have done a search but every shoe they recommend doesn't exist anymore, I am looking for a canyoneering shoe besides the 5.10 canyoneeringcanyoneering

[Scott Card]

Go to the Canyoneering Rendezvous in September at Zion Park and try out a pair of Adidas.

[Taylor]

I'd go with the 5.10 Canyoneer.:roflol:

But seriously, we over think a lot of stuff in this crazy sport. It's just hiking in the desert and sliding down ropes (mostly). What shoe/boot do you like to hike in? You have hiked before, right? If you haven't, please stay out of the slot canyons. If you have, you already know that you should wear comfortable, durable shoes in the out-of-doors. Stay away from hot, non breathable leather boots. I've done Pandora's in Teva sandals. Imlay in Canyoneers. Poe in La Sportiva Xplorers (too narrow for my feet but a great shoe). Mostly I wear trail runners or some Keen boots with grippy rubber. Get something comfortable and plan on buying a new pair at least once a year.

[TommyBoy]

The only time canyoneers are really helpful is when you're doing a lot of hiking on steep slickrock or else stemming. For basic canyoneering anything will work really. That said if you live near provo/orem then out n back has the adidas shoes in stock as well as the 5.10 camp four shoe which is more like a regular hiking shoe, except it has the stealth rubber sole. I haven't tried either one since I actually really like the canyoneers, but thats just me.

[bhalvers2002]

5.10 sticks to rock wet/dry about as good as any shoe I've tried. I have a narrower foot and got the La Sportiva Xplorers (low top) and have been very happy (enjoyed them in Pine Creek, Das Boot, Water Canyon and Kolob). Great approach, hiking shoe and does well sticking to rock. More comfortable overall than 5.10. If it were me, I would lean 5.10 if feet are wider and La Sportiva if narrower. If you are medium, can go either way and find the best deal.

[Iceaxe]

I have used about every shoe you can think of and there is nothing that compares to the sticky C4 stealth rubber used on the Five-ten Canyoneer. If you want the best grip you have to go with a Five-Ten product.

The rubber used by La Sportiva is good until the temperature drops below freezing and than the shoes become ice skates with grip deteriorating quickly the further the temperature drops.

My current shoe lineup consists of 5.10 Canyoneers, 5.10 Guides and Nike Revero's (sp?).

Maybe we should all write Nike and ask them to start producing the Revero's again. They were only made for a very short time in a limited pre-production run. The shoe was never really marketed. The Revero's are the best shoe I've ever used by a large margin. Think wearing a pair of Air Jordan's with C4 stealth rubber. Nike pulled the shoe when they discovered they couldn't sell a million pairs a year, but perhaps with the popularity of the sport today they should reconsider.

Anyhoo... most quality approach shoes work good for canyoneering, it's just do you want to trade comfort for that last little bit of sticky. YMMV

[french_de]

After many years of happy 5.10 Canyoneer use I tried out a pair of of Salewa wildfires in Maidenwater this past weekend. They are a comfortable shoe, the stickiness isn't quite on the C4 stealth level but still very good grip and so far they seem like a pretty tough shoe. No ankle support with the low riding shoe but they do come with two sizes of inner soles - normal and wider.

[skiclimb3287]

I use Bestard Canyon Guides that I picked up in Spain on my honeymoon. Love them so fast. Not quite as sticky as the canyoneers, but sticky enough.

If I am in the skinnies (north wash, robbers roost), then I use la sportiva xplorers. Also a great shoe.

Ice - thanks for the heads up on the rubber in cold temps. Will keep my canyoneers around for when I start doing winter stuff or attending freezefest!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2

[xxnitsuaxx]

Chacos. I've done Heaps, Imlay, Pandoras...pretty much everything but Sandthrax in 'em. Hell, I did Heaps all the way to the first pothole in a pair of Chacos flipflops. But you gotta have a thick skin to put up with all the crap that the people in their super-cute matching Canyoneers give you.

[Wasatch]

Vasque also sells shoes with the stealth rubber, they are low quarter shoes.

[2065toyota]

Chacos. I've done Heaps, Imlay, Pandoras...pretty much everything but Sandthrax in 'em. Hell, I did Heaps all the way to the first pothole in a pair of Chacos flipflops. But you gotta have a thick skin to put up with all the crap that the people in their super-cute matching Canyoneers give you.

Ask Rob what it looks like when a very small slab in Englestead slid when it got stepped on and sliced the big toe off. It's ok though, the government and taxpayers can spot the SAR bill. But you are correct, most of the canyons can be done with whatever you are comfortable with. I prefer the Xplorer in dryer canyons and 5.10's in the wetter canyons

[Iceaxe]

Chacos.

I've never said you couldn't canyoneer in Chacos..... but I have been known to say it's not the brightest move someone could make.

:lol8:

[Iceaxe]

Vasque also sells shoes with the stealth rubber, they are low quarter shoes.

I've used the Vasque with good results. But you need to understand that Stealth Rubber comes in 6 different formula's if I remember correctly. The formula used by Vasque is not the C4 formula used in the 5.10 canyoneers. The pair of Vasque I had used the S1 compound, which is not as sticky but has better durability.

[Wasatch]

A couple of years back a lady in the group did some NW canyons in saddles I think Teva's, but the more expensive one's. She had no problem sticky to the walls, she did not even lose any nail polish, but still I would not recommend it to anyone.

[Wasatch]

Those first pair I forgot the name, Neil Wilkerson turned me on to them lasted 9 years easy. The new ones are also great. I like the low cut on them over the bootish type of the 5.10s. Alot easier to put on, especially when their frozen in the mornings. Just remembered the name of the first one's I bought, Catalyst.


I've used the Vasque with good results. But you need to understand that Stealth Rubber comes in 6 different formula's if I remember correctly. The formula used by Vasque is not the C4 formula used in the 5.10 canyoneers. The pair of Vasque I had used the S1 compound, which is not as sticky but has better durability.

[Slot Machine]

Current choices:

Dry canyons: La Sportiva Boulder X.

Wet canyons: 5.10 Canyoneer.

Next to try: Salewa Wildfire.

Will never try: Chacos. (Seems too much like wearing a helmet with a big hole cut in the top.) :haha:

[Jdt92065]

If you use waterproof shoes in a wet Canyon does the water just get trapped inside the shoe

[Slot Machine]

If you use waterproof shoes in a wet Canyon does the water just get trapped inside the shoe

Yes.

Waterproof shoes are great for hiking through a dewy meadow. But not so great for hiking down a river.

One great thing about the 5.10's is that they have drains built into the sides of the shoe. They drain like a sieve.

[ratagonia]

Chacos. I've done Heaps, Imlay, Pandoras...pretty much everything but Sandthrax in 'em. Hell, I did Heaps all the way to the first pothole in a pair of Chacos flipflops. But you gotta have a thick skin to put up with all the crap that the people in their super-cute matching Canyoneers give you.

Shoes? Are people still using shoes? Jeesh, you can't REALLY experience the canyon if you're wearing shoes - the TRUE experience can only be had by going barefoot!

I've done Imlay, Sandthrax, Frosted Flakes, The Narrows, Pandoras, Poe, Happy Cricket, Smiling Dog and 133 secret canyons on Lake Powells last week in my bare feet. Heck, my group did Heaps down AND up in our bare feet. When the feet start hurting, we just walk on our hands for a couple miles and let the feet recover.

No problem.

Tom

(got this one covered, Bootboy)

[jman]

Chacos. I've done Heaps, Imlay, Pandoras...pretty much everything but Sandthrax in 'em. Hell, I did Heaps all the way to the first pothole in a pair of Chacos flipflops. But you gotta have a thick skin to put up with all the crap that the people in their super-cute matching Canyoneers give you.

who you kiddin', Crocs are way better!

But really, the 5.10 Canyoneers bright-pee yellow color make us look - legit. 2 Legit 2 Quit. . I mean, that's why mtn bikers and such wear jersey's right? :bootyshake: It's all about LOOKING cool... cuz, skillz in Zionz, don't matter. Cuz boltz are already there for uz.


I have gone through 3 pairs of Canyoneers in 9 years. But then again, I should probably replace them a little more often than every 3 years. I tend to run them literally into the ground.

Here's a pic of my 5.10s after finally retiring them last year. The sole and rubber is not even attached anymore except by the front (barely) and heel. The mesh is destroyed all over. The rubber is mostly smooth (not good!) One buckle is broken (but a ziptie holds it nicely),and there is a 2 inch hole on the other side (not pictured) that exposes the neoprene sock.

72679
(btw, I have NO idea why there is a diamong ring in that pic...carry on!)

And still, even after that all that, I would prefer these beat-up 5.10s to chacos. :nod:

And now for the obligatory -

:bootyshake::bootyshake::bootyshake::bootyshake::b ootyshake::bootyshake::bootyshake::bootyshake::boo tyshake::bootyshake::bootyshake::bootyshake::booty shake::bootyshake::bootyshake::bootyshake::bootysh ake::bootyshake::bootyshake:

[hank moon]

note: traction of ANY rubber is affected by temperature. Too hot? rubber gets soft and can pill underfoot (mainly on very hard rock). Too cold? rubber gets hard and skates. I haven't noticed that Sportiva rubber is generally more affected by cold than other rubbers, but it is true that their consistency has been way off in the past. One batch of their rubber in particular was really bad, but that was about 8 yrs ago.

[townsend]

After many years of happy 5.10 Canyoneer use I tried out a pair of of Salewa wildfires in Maidenwater this past weekend. They are a comfortable shoe, the stickiness isn't quite on the C4 stealth level but still very good grip and so far they seem like a pretty tough shoe. No ankle support with the low riding shoe but they do come with two sizes of inner soles - normal and wider.

I wanted to second the recommendation for Salewa Wildfire. I purchased them recently on the basis of bootboy's post (here? or more probably at that other canyoneering forum). They are an approach shoe, and on a scale of 1-10 for stickiness (with 10 = 5.10 canyoneers), bootboy rated them a 7-8, and french_de "very good." With socks, I normally wear a size 10, but I bought a 10.5 on the recommendation of some online reviewers. I think I could probably get by in a 10, but the 10.5 fits me well too. I normally have a size D for width, and my foot feels comfortable with the smaller (= shorter) iof the two insoles provided. If you want or need a narrower fit, use the longer of the two insoles.

Try to get them on sale. The average price on Amazon for most sizes is ~$106.00. I got lucky and got a pair through Amazon from a retailer for $78.00 (and free shipping since fulfilled by Amazon). Again, I agree with bootboy--I hadn't tried them in a canyon yet, but they look like they would be fairly durable. Of course, avoid the GTX version unless you enjoy walking in water (not the same as walking on water).

[hank moon]

they look like they would be fairy durable.

X2

[phillipgallagher]

You can simply check out a hiking boot list like this (http://hikinggearguru.com/the-best-hiking-boots-for-men-in-2014/) or browse through Amazon's website, but I'd really look for a few lists with hiking shoes or boots whatever you want to call them and see reviews by other people that have used them.
The one I gave you is fairly thorough, but it was the first one I found on google by looking up hiking boots, there might be others that are longer or giving more information.